Boy I’m Glad We Kept Our Powder Dry

WASHINGTON –SenateRepublicans
will oppose any effort to renew soon-to-expire Bush administration tax
cuts if upper income taxpayers are excluded from the reductions.

A
spokesman for Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell says every Senate
Republican has pledged to oppose President Barack Obama’s tax-cutting
plan. Obama would renew the tax cuts for most people, but let the top
income tax rate rise back to almost 40 percent on family or small
business income over $250,000.

McConnell has
said a bill extending the tax cuts for only low- and middle-income
earners cannot pass the Senate. Forty-one senators can block a bill
with a filibuster, but McConnell spokesman Don Stewart declined to say
whether all 41 Republicans would support a filibuster.

Let’s be clear on this: Those tax cuts, along with a 40-year tradition of starving public services, havebankrupted this country. The victims of this bankrupting have been school children, the poor, the elderly, teachers, firefighters, cops and construction workers, along with artists, social service workers, social justice advocates and anyone else who is in any small way trying to make the world a better place. It is that simple. The largesse of their hard work was given to wealthy Americans and the middle-class, working-class and poor were told to suck it up until Daddy Warbucks felt like creating a few jobs. Surprise, surprise, Daddy Warbucks felt like doing no such thing.

So now they’re fucked. They’re underwater on their mortgages (or close to it), they’re wondering every week if their paychecks are going to bounce (those of them lucky enough to still have jobs) and they know without a shadow of a doubt that help is not in any way coming. They’re watched their pensions looted, their protections stripped and any semblance of trust in the government to which they’ve paid taxes their whole lives is just completely fucking gone.

And in the face of this, in the face of this very reasonable fear and anger, the Republicans are offering to continue to screw them over. To obstruct any kind of help, to obliterate any chance of useful legislation, to tell them nothing but how to blame black people and welfare recipients and buy Glenn Beck’s books, while they shut down the government and make sure no sluts get abortions and no gay people get married. Because THAT’s useful.

Plus, they‘re ahead in the polls, so what will Republicans do if
they take control of the government, of the U.S. Congress? Here‘s what
they‘re talking about doing—killing Obama health care, canceling what‘s
left of the stimulus, and using subpoena power to investigate the White
House. One GOP lobbyist states it plainly. Quote, “The goal,
obviously, would be to make it a one-term presidency.”

Well, the leader of the campaign against President Obama would be
the new Speaker, if he took office, John Boehner. The president went
directly after him yesterday. We‘re going to ask the HARDBALL
strategists whether it‘s good politics for the president to make
Boehner the name and face of the Republican Party. Do enough people
even know who this guy is?

Right. Republicans are going to implode this country, so should Obama pick someone more well-known to demonize? Maybe Sarah Palin, I hear she’s famous. Jesus H. Cracked Pepper Christ, THIS is the question? This is what we’re asking?

You know what frustrates me the most about this shit? Remembering, especially over the weekend with all the Bush Glory Days retrospectives, just how pants-shittingly scared every Democrat was to oppose the most bizarre, nonsensical, un-American, batshit thing the president could come up with. How afraid they were of the wrath of the people for saying things like, “Mayhap we shouldn’t blow up a country if we can’t rebuild it” and “Did Iraq really attack us on 9/11” and “Possibly torturing people makes us look like douches.”

How absolutely stalwart they were in their refusal to march with anti-war activists, to appear at rallies opposing the Bush administration’s policies, to filibuster his Supreme Court nominees, to question his appointees with any real vigor. Notable exceptions aside (I’m looking at you, Chris Dodd, on FISA and you, John Kerry, on John Bolton and during your campaign) how they trembled in the face of anticipated wrath from voters should they dare to oppose the president. How they didn’t want to make trouble. How they kept their powder dry.

What consequences would they have faced had they used up all their goddamn powder? I don’t know. Let’s see what consequences will Republicans face for their obstruction and backwards-ass actions? What will they suffer for opposing the president?

Nothing, on all counts, in all likelihood, and maybe then we can put paid to this notion that being called a dick on the Sunday shows is any kind of real, you know, thing. Being called a dick in a Sarah Palin mailing isn’t a real consequence either. Even being voted out of office isn’t that awful of a fate; it’s not like you’re going to end up on a bread line.

Unlike grandma, if Republicans have their way.

A.

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9 thoughts on “Boy I’m Glad We Kept Our Powder Dry”

If the “free press” actually did their jobs, people would be well aware of the fact the Repub Party is interested only in padding the bank accounts of the wealthy and themselves. The people would know that all the Repubs have done for 2 years if try to make Obama fail and to Hell with our country. The people would know that at last they will be guaranteed a health insurance plan at a cost they can possibly afford.
But, our Repub owned and operated “free press” doesn’t tell the people anything except how wonderful the Alaska former governor is, how huge and successful the Repub Tea Party is, and how “everybody does it” anyway, so Repub near treasonous actions aren’t really news.
No wonder Democrats are afraid.

Two things get me about the article and link.
First, from what I’ve heard Warren Buffet say, he is very much a moderate on taxes and even asks why he should pay a lower tax than the secretary in his office.
Second and more strongly, when is the press gonna get that an increase of tax to 40% on income over $250k doesn’t mean the entire income is taxed at that rate. You take your money, make your deductions (and there are a lot more deductions for those at the high end of the income), and then the money from 0 to 250k is taxed at the lower rates for their bracket. It is only income ABOVE 250k that will go to a higher rate.

I gotta tell ya “A” I am just about done with all of them. As I sit here typing this, a political ad for some tea party whack job is running on the AM station that broadcasts the Phillies games…The whole thing…all 30sec of it…was one lie after another. Nobody cares. The system is broken. The stupids have won. The Republicans don’t want to run the country they want to win…it is a game to them, except you know, it isn’t really a game. I have given up talking to the stupids, in the past I thought it was that they didn’t have the facts but the truth is they don’t care. I call them “fact free” conversations that are useless. I see a picture of some angry white woman on TPM, she has shirt on that says “Waterboard Instructor”! I mean WTF!!! Fellow citizen yes, but even if I had just finished a six pack of Moose Drool and this woman was on fire I wouldn’t piss on her. Where do we go from here? I fear for the Republic.